Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 9: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has asked the Centre to initiate dialogue with the separatist leadership after the later have expressed willingness to engage with them.
The PDP president told the reporters on the sidelines of a condolence meeting in Pulwama area of South Kashmir that Centre should initiate dialogue with separatists.
“In the past, Union Government and the top leadership at the Centre have engaged with the separatist leadership on multiple occasions. The Central Government through various channels pursued such an engagement even when the separatists didn’t respond positively to such offers. All this underlines the role and relevance of separatists in any process of meaningful dialogue on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Now that the separatists have publically shown their willingness, the Union Government must seize this opportunity and initiate a dialogue in the inertest of the State as well as the country” she said.
Mehbooba also visited Zainpora, Shopian, where she met the family of young party worker Irfan Hamid Lone, who was recently killed by militants. Later, she met several public deputations, who raised issues related to development and governance in their respective areas.
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